BASEBALL '91: THE YANKEES

BASEBALL '91: THE YANKEES; Eager Meulens Leads a Youth Movement

By MICHAEL MARTINEZ

Published: April 7, 1991

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—
The first time he walked into the Yankees' spring training clubhouse, Hensley Meulens was 20 years old, still awed at how quickly he had risen in his career and uncertain where the coming days would lead him. It was 1988.

Meulens looked around and saw people he had only read about: Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield, Claudell Washington, Willie Randolph. So young, he stood among them.

Meulens smiled softly, but in the retelling of the story he also could not forget his apprehension. There seemed little chance he would ever play alongside them in a major league game.

"I had watched the other guys in front of me get traded," he said. "I knew that most minor leaguers in the organization felt they'd never get a chance to play here, and I knew there was no way I'd be here, too."

But the times have changed. Although those players Muelens dreamed of playing with are gone, the Yankees, who once thrived on trades and the free-agent marketplace, have moved slowly, and finally, toward a younger look. They are taking advantage of the rich farm system they have developed -- but never truly used to best advantage -- in the minors.

They are also seeing its benefits.

This season, four players nurtured in the organization -- Meulens, Kevin Maas, Jim Leyritz and Dave Eiland -- will play prominent parts on the team when the season begins tomorrow. Several others appear on the verge of joining them within the next year or two.

But the change in emphasis did not happen easily. Strangely, it may have had its beginning with the demise of George Steinbrenner, the former managing general partner, who last summer was barred from the daily activities of his baseball team. One of his final acts last June was to dismiss Bucky Dent as manager, replace him with Stump Merrill and proclaim -- again -- his intention of turning toward youth as a way to improve his team.

The promise was a tired one, but this time Steinbrenner could not renege. When Robert Nederlander replaced Steinbrenner, he emphasized the need for fiscal wisdom and said it could only be accomplished by using the minor league system and abandoning, to a degree, free agency.

So it was done. Leyritz came up first, and others followed. Now, the Yankees appear ready to rely on their organization to climb back to respectability.

"We hit bottom last year," said Gneral Manager Gene Michael. "That made it easier to call up the kids. Before, we were always closer to the top, so in defense of that theory, a lot of times we couldn't use our system. The policy I've always used is that if a young player is ready, we'll make room for him."

This season, the Yankees have made ample room. Meulens will be their everyday left fielder. Maas will be their designated hitter. Leyritz will be their part-time catcher, and Eiland will be their No. 4 starter.

As if to emphasize the new commitment, the Yankees last week refused to part with key players -- among them Maas and Roberto Kelly -- in trade talks with the Pittsburgh Pirates that could have brought Bobby Bonilla to New York.

That kind of commitment has proved to the young players that they may finally get an opportunity to advance to the Bronx. In the past, it was never that way.

"All of us were upset," said Leyritz, recalling his days in the team's system. "We felt we deserved to be up here. At one point, I was ready to say, 'If I don't make it this year, I'm ready to call it quits.' I was desperate."

The promotion of Leyritz last June, though, was the initial signal that the long wait was ending. In the next few weeks, the Yankees summoned Maas, Oscar Azocar and Mark Leiter.

There are still more to come. The Columbus team will have pitchers Alan Mills, Wade Taylor, Mike Gardella and Jeff Johnson, plus catcher John Ramos, infielder Pat Kelly, and outfielders Bernie Williams and Gerald Williams. None is older than 25.

There are no guarantees they will make it, or if they do that it will be in New York. But there is finally a chance.

"The tide is turning now," said Eiland. "Last year, Leyritz, Maas and Azocar opened the door. It was important for them to do well."

But they must also keep doing well. Maas hit 21 homers in 79 games last season, but he realizes that expectations cannot be so great.

"I'm not going to set any unrealistic goals, like hitting 50 home runs," he said. "The things I did last year hadn't been done in 100 years of baseball. I want to do some big things, but I can't improve on my home-run ratio."

The youngsters all believe, however, that they can have an impact on the Yankees, and that the Yankees can have an impact on the American League.

"I think it's only fair to give us time to get used to the league," Meulens said, "but we'll be very productive. We did it in the minors; I don't see why we shouldn't do it here."

The first weeks no doubt will be important. Poor starts by any or all of the young players could have long-term effects.

"I'd like to see them get off to good starts. It will take the pressure off," Michael said. "I don't want any of them to worry if they go 0 for 10, but sometimes you have to send them down. You hate to see a young player dig himself into a hole. A poor start can affect your whole year."

Good starts will help the players, the team and the morale of those playing in such Yankee minor league outlets as Columbus, Albany and Prince William. And one day soon, a young player might walk into the spring clubhouse -- as Meulens did three years ago -- and find himself surrounded by Maas, Leyritz, Eiland and Meulens.

"We are going to do a job," Meulens said, "and open the door for the guys who are coming up. If we succeed, it's going to make their road here a little shorter."